GRRF has an adoption application! If you see a dog that interests you, you can fill out an application and a volunteer will get back to you. Oftentimes, we accept applications for a few days to a week before reviewing all applications for a specific dog. We review all applications and place our dogs with families who will suit them best. Just because your application is not selected for a dog, does not mean your application is not good! Our dog's happiness and health are always our top priorities so we must make the hard decision of selecting only one family that is the best fit.

Sometimes there is a waiting period due to a lack of animals. Remember, this is a good thing!

GRRF is an entirely volunteer ran organization! We appreciate your patience during the adoption process as we do what we can as our time (& busy schedules) allow.

GRRF’s adoption process was made to benefit our dogs, including reducing the likelihood of return and getting the match right the first time around!

1. The first step in a dog’s journey with GRRF is being surrendered to GRRF. GRRF will have the dog’s legal owners fill out and sign paperwork to legally relinquish ownership and responsibility to GRRF. From here, GRRF will take in the dog and evaluate their personality and needs. This can take anywhere from 5 minutes to several days as the dog spends time with us, decompresses, and starts to show off its personality.

2. Next, the dog will receive care with our vet to ensure a healthy pup and check off all test results listed in the “golden package” (see below)

3. Once the dog has been fully cleared medically and we have a good idea of the type of home that they would enjoy best, the dog will be posted as available on GRRF’s website and Facebook page! All interested parties must submit an application on our website to be considered for adoption! GRRF’s adoptions are not first come, first served. We will allow the ad to sit for a few days up to around a week before we start the next step in the process.

4. After an adequate amount of time has passed to allow all interested parties to submit an application, GRRF will then begin the review process. Our adoption coordinator will review every application submitted for each dog and compare them to each other and against the specific dog’s wishlist of human traits and home requirements. Our adoption coordinator will then contact the best-fit applicants based on this information. They will talk with the families, discuss their application and the dog they submitted for, and may schedule a visit depending on the situation and other applicants.

5. GRRF does not have its own dedicated facility or building like other typical shelters. GRRF is a foster-based rescue meaning most of our dogs stay in our foster homes with families who have volunteered to watch and care for our dogs until they are adopted. We do rent out and borrow some space from a local Fairbanks business and may use that space for visits so long as it is coordinated to not interfere with the business’ schedule and happenings. Because of this, GRRF only does meet and greets with selected applicants as it takes a considerable amount of coordination between GRRF representatives, building schedules, foster family schedules, and new prospective family schedules to make a meet happen.

6. After talking with several families, GRRF’s adoption coordinator will schedule a meet with one family at a time in order of most likely fit. This meet will allow all humans and any other dogs in the home to meet in a neutral space and see how everyone initially feels about each other. If the meet goes well and the adoption coordinator does not have any other meet and greets scheduled, the family may have the opportunity to take the dog home to start the trial period.

7. The home trial period is a required 2-week part of GRRF’s adoption process. During the home trial, the GRRF dog will live in the home and settle into the grove of the family’s day-to-day routine. This period allows everyone to relax, settle, and ensure the fit is good even after the honeymoon phase and excitement begins to dwindle down. Our adoption coordinator will keep in contact with the family during this time and occasionally check in to see how things are going. GRRF’s trial period is a minimum of 2 weeks. If the family reports that the trial is not working out, GRRF will take the dog back at any time.

8. If the trial is still going well at the 2-week mark, they will have the opportunity to finalize the adoption. To finalize the adoption, the family and GRRF dog meet back up with the adoption coordinator. GRRF will provide the family with all of the dog’s medical records, the family will sign GRRF’s adoption contract, and the adoption fee will be collected. The End! Your GRRF dog is officially yours!

Important note for puppies: Your GRRF puppy will remain under GRRF’s account with our veterinary partner. This will allow you to schedule any remaining GRRF-provided appointments. Our veterinary partners are knowledgeable about GRRF’s “Golden Package” and will allow you to schedule your GRRF dog under our account so long as a GRRF representative created the dog’s profile prior to scheduling and the appointment is covered under the “Golden Package” guidelines. Our adoption coordinator will keep in contact with you to ensure remaining vaccine appointments are made and kept as well as spay/neuter appointments at 6 months.

GRRF’s adoption process is a guideline and can change depending on each dog and each family.

GRRF’s adoption fee is $325 for all dogs regardless of age or breed!

GRRF’s adoption fee helps to cover a portion of each dog’s medical care! All GRRF dogs receive veterinary care at our veterinary partners, North Pole Veterinary Hospital and Aurora Animal Clinic. We also use Mt. McKinley Animal Hospital for emergencies and in cases of owner surrender to their veterinary office.

All GRRF dogs receive what we like to call the “Golden Package” The Golden Package includes:

• all vaccines required to be fully vaccinated (3 shot appointments for puppies)

• microchip

• spay/neuter (puppies required and enforced to be completed by 6 months of age)

• hip x-rays to check for signs of hip dysplasia

• pre-anesthetic bloodwork to ensure everything is functioning as it should

GRRF dogs over the age of 7 receive a few additional tests to ensure they are starting their new journey with a healthy foot forward. Dogs 7 and older also receive chest and abdominal x-rays to make sure everything looks good and are upgraded to a full bloodwork panel to check additional levels and provide a baseline to families to use as a comparison should the dog need any additional bloodwork later on in life.

Should any GRRF dog have any concerning test results or show any concerning signs or symptoms, GRRF will provide the dog with additional medical care. This can include dental work, MRIs, ultrasounds, echocardiograms, medications, and more. GRRF will continue to care for the dog and work with our veterinary partners to help bring the dog back to good health before allowing the dog to be adopted.

GRRF is often asked to take in and care for special, high-medical needs dogs. GRRF welcomes these dogs with open arms when resources allow and rely on our community and sponsors to help us provide them with the best veterinary care to cover all that they might need.

GRRF believes a high adoption fee should not be a barrier to great families who would otherwise provide a wonderful life to our dogs. GRRF tries hard to keep our fees as low as we can. The average GRRF dog costs can cost anywhere between $500 and $1,200 for veterinary care. GRRF fundraises throughout the year and uses donations from local community members to help offset this cost and allow our adoptive families to welcome a new (& healthy) family member at a relatively low upfront cost.

Yes. 100% GRRF is a rescue and not in the business of making puppies with our dogs while in our care or in the care of their future families.
GRRF puppies wait until 6 months to be spayed/neutered with no exceptions. GRRF pays for the spay/neuter, see the above question for more info! GRRF puppies are not placed into homes with other intact dogs due to this.

GRRF’s adoption coordinator keeps in close contact with families while awaiting the 6-month mark to ensure all puppies are fixed by this deadline. This requirement is enforced and puppies who’s families fail to comply are taken back into GRRF care.

Yes! GRRF serves all of Alaska (:

While location is a factor that we consider, it is not an end-all be-all. GRRF’s top priority is always the health and happiness of our dogs and sometimes that total happiness is 6 hours away in Anchorage (;

GRRF puppies are less likely to be adopted to families outside of Fairbanks due to the many GRRF-paid appointments and 6-month waiting period for spay/neuter. This does not mean we won’t adopt a puppy outside of Fairbanks, we’ve done it before!

TRAVEL/MEET INFO:

All applicants outside of the Fairbanks area interested in a GRRF dog are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to meet with the dog prior to our mandatory trial period (see GRRF adoption process above). GRRF does not and will not “ship” or “fly” or “send” any dog to any family. Adoptive families must travel to Fairbanks to meet with the dog and arrange the dog’s travel if approved to begin the trial process. The family must also be able and willing to transport the dog back to GRRF if the trial period does not work out. GRRF can often help in the scenario of a dog being returned to GRRF.

GRRF does not and will not “fly” or “send” or “ship” any dog to any family. See above question for more info!

A foster home is a temporary home filled with lots of love that our dogs stay with while awaiting adoption! A foster home provides all care for the dog while it resides with them, including water, shelter, exercise, and socialization. GRRF provides all necessary foods or medications. A foster family is very important in placing the dog with the right adoptive family. They are responsible for helping judge the characteristics that make each animal unique. If you would like to become a foster home for dogs in our rescue program, please read more about fostering and fill out our foster application, call or email us if you have questions at (907) 479-5577 or info@grrf.org.

Goldens are companion animals, not backyard dogs. They are an active breed. Males weigh from 65 to 75 pounds. Females weigh from 55 to 65 lbs. Mixes may be larger. Their long hair requires brushing and they shed. Goldens are eager to please and they learn quickly. They love to retrieve many kinds of objects and clothing. As with any breed, there are possible health concerns such as hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia, cancer, cataracts, allergies and heart problems.

They can live up to 15 years, however 10 to 12 is average.Item description

Sometimes, but most often dogs are older than one year. Most puppies that GRRF receives are not purebred golden retrievers. If you are interested in puppies, we encourage you to get more information through the following links:
Golden Retriever Club of America - questions to ask when purchasing puppy
Advice from Marcia Kardatzke, Golden Retriever Club of America

Locally, we know there are problems with several breeders here in Fairbanks, mostly hip and cancer problems. Several breeders in the area have not had their dogs checked for even the most basic health concerns prior to breeding. Remember that you are investing the next 10 to 15 years of your life and love in this animal. Wouldn't you want to know your new pup came from a reputable breeder?

Please also beware of Craigslist - unfortunately, there are people who will adopt animals from the shelter or even steal dogs and try and sell them on Craigslist for profit. A good indicator is how much information the seller has about the dogs. Reputable breeders will use venues other than Craigslist for their pups. We encourage you to speak to your veterinarian about local breeders.

We have our adoption process to avoid these situations, but if it happens, the dog must be surrendered back to GRRF. Each GRRF adoption is finalized with a signed adoption contract. In our contract it states that GRRF dogs cannot be rehomed or surrendered to other people or other rescues or shelters.

Yes. Most Goldens are well-tempered and love people. However, small children should never be left alone with any dog. We encourage all adoptive families to enroll in obedience training; it is a great way to have fun and bond with your dog.

No, every dog has their own quirks and set of requirements but no fence is not a deal-breaker for most GRRF dogs!Most Goldens are extremely friendly and want to meet everyone in the neighborhood. Rescued dogs may have come from a home where they were not well-treated and therefore may have a tendency to wander. You must take responsibility and no dog should be unattended when loose outside.

We offer education to all Golden and Retriever mix owners or families interested in adoption. This is done at no charge to the individual but through our love of the animals and the breed. Just call or email us if you have questions at (907) 479-5577 or info@grrf.org. Suggestions are given to further the education of all dogs and we provide a listing of local dog training classes available.

We often have requests to accept special needs shelter dogs, or dogs relinquished due to a lack of funds for necessary medical procedures. With your help, we are able to take these animals into the GRRF program and provide them a second chance at life. We also use monies to purchase educational materials, which may not be covered in adoption fees. We can always use your time in fundraising activities to support our efforts.